Arguedas, what to see and do.

Arguedas, what to see and do in the natural gateway to the Bardenas Reales de Navarra.

Arguedas, a small village of the Ribera Navarra, receives with open arms all those people who decide to know and enjoy the Natural Park of the Bardenas Reales. And it is that we must remember that this town represents the natural entrance door to this picturesque desert of Navarre. An essential space when it comes to spend the night, to buy and to be informed before entering between the more than 42,000 hectares that form this desert landscape.Unfortunately, many people insist on indicating that Arguedas does not have sufficient incentives to be visited, that it is only a town of passage to the Bardenas. In this article on what to see in Arguedas we will demonstrate that they are wrong. And it is that Arguedas puts at the disposal of the visitor a good number of spaces to visit and to enjoy. Are you ready to discover Arguedas with us?

If you have planned a getaway to the Ribera Navarra, we recommend you to visit each of the spaces that we recommend in Arguedas. And it is that although many relate the locality of Arguedas only with the Natural Park of the Bardenas Reales and the park of Sendaviva, in fact it hides many other treasures.

What to see in Arguedas.

Although Arguedas is a town of less than 2500 inhabitants, it has a good number of attractions. Below we mention some of the most striking places of the town. We hope this section will help you to plan your trip to Arguedas.

CavesThe caves of Arguedas are undoubtedly one of the icons of the locality. Spaces, which were dug on the own limestone land at the end of the 19th century. The rooms located in the exterior corresponded to the kitchen and the dining room while in the interior were the rooms. According to the needs, they were the ones who extended the house with pickaxe and shovel. Few of the houses had electricity and none of them had water. From 1960 onwards, these caves were abandoned.

CastleThe space known as “Balcony of the Moors” or “Balconico de los Moros” houses the remains of the ancient castle of Arguedas (XIth century – XVIth century). Located on a watchtower, this castle dominated the horizon obtaining great advantage over any enemy. This defensive structure was one of the most important during the late Middle Ages, and its location on the southern border, made it a strategic enclave at that time. Today the only witness of this castle is the information panel that we find in the place. If you want to reach this enclave you must go up the access that you will find at the end of Barrio Nuevo street, 2 streets behind the church of San Esteban.

SendaVivaSendaviva Park is located about 10 minutes by car from the center of Arguedas. A space, in which we are encouraged to enjoy the animals, attractions and shows. And it is that animals like bears, wolves, lynxes, tigers and zebras complete together with attractions of all kinds, one of the most visited spaces of the south of Navarre. An impressive place to visit with the family.

Virgen del YugoIn a high spot, on the outskirts of the urban center, we find a space where the Virgen del Yugo hermitage, the Bardena viewpoint and the Virgen del Yugo hostel coexist. A scenario that, located next to Senda Viva and surrounded by fields of crops, allows us to enjoy incredible views. Its location at an altitude of over 490 meters, 5 kilometers from the Bardenas, makes the Virgen del Yugo an idyllic place to contemplate the sunset.

Biological Station of ArguedasThe Biological Station of Arguedas and its 4 hectares are located between rice fields. An amazing place where we have the opportunity to see a large number of birds throughout the year. And the fact is that these rice fields are the ideal space for birds to nest, feed or rest. An area where GURELUR (our land in Basque) carries out censuses, ringing and migration studies.

Cultivation fieldsThe rice fields are one of the best examples of the cultivated fields that we can find in Arguedas. But they are not the only ones, the fields of cereals like wheat or oats occupy the land in which before there were olive trees and vines. A landscape, that counts on a bottom of luxury, the Bardenas. Really incredible.

Local products: Following with the previous point, you must know that there is the possibility of buying products elaborated in Arguedas directly, without intermediaries. Good example of it is the rice “El Alcaravan” and the meat of the cattle ranch Ustarroz (the butcher’s shop is next to the town hall).

Church of San EstebanAlthough it is known that in Arguedas a church exists in honor to San Esteban from the year 1084, we must indicate that it is not the same structure that we find nowadays. The present church of San Esteban was built by Joan de Ancheta and his son Martin de Ancheta between the years 1560 and 1612. This church has 3 chapels and 5 altarpieces (the altarpiece of the Immaculate Conception, the altarpiece of the Heart of Jesus, the altarpiece of the Crucifixion, the altarpiece of San Isidro and the altarpiece of the Virgin of the Rosary) of great beauty. Undoubtedly the greatest jewels of this Navarrese temple.

Town hallThe present town hall of Arguedas consists of 2 buildings (XVIth century and XVIIIth century). His interior was rehabilitated in the 20th century to be able to condition his structure to the needs of the consistory.

Muruzabal HouseThis palace located in front of the town hall of the locality has its origins in the XVIII century. A building with exposed brick in which the balconies and the coat of arms that we find in its main facade are its most outstanding elements. Currently its interior has been restored for tourist use.

Walk of the BordónThis walk encourages us to walk while we enjoy emblematic spaces of Arguedas like the remains of the Castle of Arguedas, the church of San Esteban, the silo or the caves. A brief journey through the history of Arguedas that we are sure that you will love.

Hermitage of San MiguelThe hermitage of San Miguel, the oldest religious building of Arguedas, is located in the center of the locality. According to the experts, the first indications on this temple date from the 16th century. After the transfer of the religious works of this temple to the church of San Esteban in the year 2006, it was proceeded to its rehabilitation to create in new cultural space “The chapel”.

LivestockAlthough many people ignore it, in Arguedas and surroundings we find several cattle ranches. Farms, in which we find thousands of sheep and bulls. While we cross the road that joins Arguedas and the center of Tourist information of Bardenas Reales, there are 3 cattle ranches. We are sure that the imposing figure of the bulls will call your attention. Unfortunately, these cattle ranches do not have a guided tour program.

Urban artLike the urban centers of Tudela and Peralta, Arguedas is also part of the Avant Garde. This is how the streets and squares of Arguedas are filled with color thanks to the works of art of urban artists. We are sure you will love the murals that give life to Arguedas, do you dare to look for them?

Where to sleep in Arguedas.

If you are looking for an accommodation with good location, attention, cleanliness and price, we recommend the Bardena Blanca rural houses. Two establishments, run by Teresa and Carlos, encourage us to enjoy Arguedas, SendaViva, Tudela and the Bardenas in style. If you want more information, we recommend you to read our article about the rural houses of the Bardenas.

Video of Arguedas.

As it is habitual in all our publications, we have wanted to complete the words and photographies on Arguedas with a brief video. An audiovisual, with which we intend to show you in a more real way what awaits you in this small town of Navarra. In case you like this kind of videos, we recommend you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be able to discover all the experiences and places that we recommend you.

Motor home parking.

The locality of Arguedas is known to welcome one of the most important parkings of motorhomes, caravans and vans of the Ribera. The Municipal Parking of Motorhomes of Arguedas counts on drinkable water, emptied of gray waters and chemical bath for black waters.

Bardenas Natural Park.

The Bardenas Reales Natural Park is one of the many wonders that Navarra surprises us with. A space that has been declared a special conservation area for birds (1998), nature reserve (1987), natural park (1999), biosphere reserve (2000) and special conservation area. A truly incredible space. We recommend you to read our article about the Bardenas Reales de Navarra.

Where to eat.

Arguedas has several establishments where to be able to eat, example of it is the Brasserie of Belén Floristán where some magnificent migas can be tasted. But if we have to recommend some restaurant of the Ribera Navarra, that is the Restaurant 33 of Tudela. An establishment that we have visited on several occasions and that has not disappointed us.

What to see near Arguedas.

As we have already indicated, near Arguedas a good number of spaces exists to visit. Places, which make possible that we enjoy a trip of long stay to the south of Navarre. A landscape full of contrasts that will make us fall in love with its monasteries, foces, castles and villages.

What to do near Arguedas.

As we have already indicated on several occasions, Arguedas represents the gateway to the Natural Park of Bardenas Reales, a privileged location that allows us to enjoy all kinds of experiences. Among the most outstanding activities we find bicycle rental, horseback riding or 4×4 routes. In case you are looking for more experiences, we recommend you to visit our reservation center.

As you have been able to verify, Arguedas is obligatory stop for all those people who want to know the most important spaces of the Ribera of Navarre. An urban nucleus with a good number of space to see and to enjoy. In case you have any doubt about what to see in Arguedas, we recommend you to use the system of comments that you will find under these lines to send it to us. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!